As a staunch supporter of Liverpool football team, Peel had a special place in his heart for the song most closely associated with the club. You'll Never Walk Alone was played at both his wedding in 1974 and at his funeral 30 years later.[1]

Originally written for the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, the Anfield anthem was adopted by fans on the Kop terrace shortly after a cover version by Merseybeat band Gerry & The Pacemakers reached number one in the UK charts in 1963.[2]

The recorded version that Peel seemed to prefer was a live crowd rendition that appeared on The Kop Choir LP released in 1972. Seven years later, on the night of his 40th birthday, the DJ played the track as a bonus after counting down the 40 records he would like to hear at his birthday party and described the addition as “the best record of the lot.”[3] In 1983, introducing the song on My Top Ten, Peel referred to the Kop Choir as “the greatest group on Earth.” The match recording, a regular feature of Peel's live DJ sets[4], appeared on the DJ’s FabricLive. 07 compilation, released in 2002.

A host of artists produced session versions, including a reprise of their hit by Gerry & The Pacemakers in 1973 and a string of covers in spring 1982, when the DJ asked all his guests to attempt the song as part of an eventually abandoned album project[5](he admitted that many bands weren't willing to play the song). [6] In 1998, a live session version by Melys (plus London Welsh Male Voice Choir) reportedly reduced Peel to tears at the desk in the booth at Maida Vale.[7]

Peel also featured a Kop version of the song on his shows as part of the track Fearless from Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle; apparently the band were inspired to include it as a result of hearing it on Top Gear. [8] The Liverpool crowd's rendition was also sampled on 'Sharp As A Needle' by Barmy Army, a Peelenium choice for 1987 that reached #17 in the 1987 Festive Fifty.

In less happy times, Peel would choose an Aretha Franklin performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone to play on his first radio show following the Hillsborough stadium disaster in April 1989, when 96 Liverpool fans died.[9] The DJ used Franklin's rendition of the song to lead his set at the 1997 Hillsborough Justice Concert at Liverpool's Anfield ground.[10] On 15 April 1999, he played the same version on his show again to mark the tenth anniversary of the tragedy.

Peel also played other tracks from "You'll Never Walk Alone: The Hillsborough Benefit Album" on 01 July 1997 ('Sugarcoated Iceburg' by the Lightning Seeds) and 02 July 1997 ('Ferry Cross The Mersey' by Holly Johnson). Peel had compered the concert documented by the album, at Anfield on 1997-05-10 (see review here).

A rendition of 'She Loves You' credited to the "Anfield Kop" (from the Bend It '92 LP) was played by Peel on his 08 January 1993 show.

The song's title was also used for a Trevor Dann-produced documentary in which Peel interviewed Kenny Dalglish, Adrian Henri and Peter Hooton. Part of Radio 1's week in Liverpool, it was first broadcast on 12 March 1983. [12]